Chapter 138

** Remy’s POV ** I don’t remember falling asleep on the couch, but when I wake, sunlight is filtering through the window. For a second, it feels like any other day. Then the memories hit. The flash of light. The laughter echoing through the woods. The stench of poison in the creek, and Paige’s arms around me. I lie there for a moment, trying to slow the pounding in my chest. She’s still asleep beside me, curled close, her breath warm against my throat. Her hand rests over my heart, and I can feel how unsteady it still is beneath her palm. She doesn’t stir when I shift slightly, but the comfort of her touch settles me in a way nothing else ever has. Earlier, when I stumbled into her arms, shaking and half feral, I expected her to freeze or pull away. Instead, she held me tight. No questions or judgment. Just solid, steady warmth until the tremors in my body eased enough for me to breathe again. I hadn’t realised how close I’d come to dying until that moment, how much it rattled me to th